For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by the night sky.  As a child, I voraciously consumed any book having to do with astronomy and space exploration.  Back then, amateur astronomers had to rely on magazines, newsletters, and books to provide the information needed to locate objects in the night sky.  And tracking man-made objects in space was extremely difficult.  Today, though, the wealth of information online gives everyone an opportunity to see things like the the International Space Station (ISS) and numerous satellites.

This week’s Web 2.0 Weekly looks at one such resource, Heavens-Above.  Heavens-Above is a free (advertising supported) website that provides observation data for numerous satellites, the ISS, amateur radio satellites, comets, and more.  Users have the option to enter their location using an extensive database of places or manually, using latitude and longitude.  Once a location is entered, Heavens-Above will customize all reports for that location, allowing the user to locate visible objects and their relative positions in the sky.  The user can then create a detailed report, including a star chart with the desired object and its path marked on it.

The above image is the star chart for the ISS from my location for tomorrow.  An object report will also include a whole sky chart to help the user to orient themselves when looking for an object.

Registered users can also enter observation reports for a given object as well as viewing others’ reports.

In addition, Heavens-Above provides orbit predictions for amateur radio satellites, comets, and minor planets.  The site also offers basic sky charts, constellation details, daily Sun and Moon data, and accurate time information.  One of the most interesting features is the page tracking spacecraft that are escaping the Solar System.  Currently, that list contains only Pioneer 10 and 11, Voyager 1 and 2, and New Horizons.  The tracking data is updated dynamically, so it is always current.

The one minor difficultly in using the Heavens-Above site to track satellites is that the user needs to know the US Space Command ID, International Launch Designator, or the name of the satellite. The user can always obtain information for the brightest objects visible from their location, however.

Heavens-Above is free to use with no registration required.  If the user chooses, they can create a free user account (email not required) that will allow them to define up to 5 observation locations and easily switch between them.  Using Heavens-Above requires an internet connected computer with a modern web browser.  Any connection speed will suffice, including dial-up.

This site would be of interest for any science teacher who wants to expose their students to astronomy and space exploration.  Because satellites are only visible when lit by the sun, with the observer in darkness, the best times to view tend to be a few hours after sunset or before sunrise.  During the winter months, prime observation times are not too far removed from the normal school day to allow the possibility of direct observation by a class.  Arranging such an observation will require careful planning to locate a visible pass that is lengthy enough for students to easily observe, but should be very doable.